Pancakes
by CandyApple75
Summary: Henry let out a deep sigh before saying, "Whenever I got sick when I was little, Mom would make me apple cinnamon pancakes for breakfast and now she's sick so I want to make her pancakes, but I need help getting the griddle out of the cabinet." Emma gets roped into helping Henry make breakfast for a sick Regina and realizes it might not be so bad after all... Fluffy


**So after being gone almost all summer, I've finally started writing again, so be on the lookout for updates and new stories galore over the next couple of weeks. Reviews are very much appreciated. Hint, hint. Enjoy! =)**

The phone was ringing. It cut through Emma's dreamless sleep, rousing the blonde who turned and slapped around on her nightstand until she found the offending phone.

"Hello?" she growled.

"Emma?" It was Henry. "I need some help. Can you come over?"

A million different scenarios flashed through Emma's mind. She propped herself up and her brain turned on high alert. "What's wrong? Are you all right? Did she do something to you?"

"Who? My mom?" Henry asked incredulously. "No, I need help with something else."

"Oh." Emma felt her mind start to fog up again. "What do you need and more importantly can it wait a few hours?"

"I need help reaching the griddle."

"What?"

"The griddle. I'm too short to reach it and I don't want to use the chair 'cause it's kind of heavy."

"Kid, it's…" Emma's eyes were still to sleepy to make out the numbers on the clock. "It's early. Why don't you ask your mom for help?"

"Because she's sick," Henry said matter-of-factly.

Emma flopped lazily down onto her pillow. "I have no idea what's going on. Explain it to me slowly?"

Henry let out a deep sigh before saying, "Whenever I got sick when I was little, Mom would make me apple cinnamon pancakes for breakfast and now she's sick so I want to make her pancakes, but I need help getting the griddle out of the cabinet."

Emma groaned and squeezed her eyes closed for a moment. "Fine. Give me a few minutes to get dressed and I'll come over."

"Thanks, Emma!" Henry hung up and Emma slowly rolled out of bed wondering how she had let herself get roped into this.

* * *

The front door of the mayoral mansion was unlocked when Emma pulled up outside. It was 8:30 on a drizzly Sunday morning and she could think of about a hundred places she'd rather be. But nevertheless, she opened the door and stepped into the house.

Henry raced out of the kitchen and slid to a stop in front of her. He still had his pajamas on, socks on his feet and his brown hair sticking up in every direction.

"You're here!" he exclaimed in a whisper.

"Well, yeah," Emma replied. "I said I'd come, didn't I? Now where's this griddle you need to reach?"

"In the kitchen. Come on." He took her hand and led her into the spacious kitchen.

The counters were cluttered with unopened ingredients and bowls and utensils. Henry pointed at the cabinet above the fridge. "It's up there."

Emma had to stand on her toes to reach the cabinet, but once she got the door open it was fairly easy to get the black griddle out and onto the counter.

"Thanks," Henry said.

"No problem, kid." Emma watched as Henry started to measure out the flour and succeeded in spilling about half of it on the counters. "Hey, I'm not the best cook, but do you want me to stick around and help you make the pancakes?"

"Sure!" Henry exclaimed. "I mean, if you want to."

"Yeah. Mary Margaret and David weren't even up when I left, so I've got some time."

"Cool. Can you start cutting up the apples?"

"You got it." Emma kicked off her boots and set them next to the island before grabbing one of the apples from the bowl in the sink and slicing it in half. Henry resumed his measuring of the dry ingredients. Finally Emma broke the silence, saying, "Your mom really used to do this for you?"

"Yeah. We used to do a lot of stuff together."

"Like what?"

Henry paused for a moment, recalling the memories he had tried to push away. "We'd bake cookies and decorate the house for Christmas every year and we'd watch movies and play games or have water fights when she was gardening. You know, normal stuff."

Emma grinned at the sudden image of a soaking wet Regina chasing a little Henry around the yard.

"Then when I got the book and I found out about the curse, we stopped." Henry sounded almost regretful. "And it's my fault. So I thought I could start making it up to her."

"Sounds like solid logic to me," Emma said. "I finished the apples. What do you want me to do next?"

* * *

The next fifteen minutes passed quickly as Emma and Henry finished mixing the batter.

"Is it supposed to be all lumpy like this?" asked Emma as she lifted the wooden spoon out of the bowl.

"Those would be the apple chunks," Henry said with a giggle.

"Oh. Duh. So we just pour this onto the griddle and flip them when the edges start to dry, right?"

"I think so. I guess we'll figure it out as we go, huh?"

"I guess so."

Emma poured the first four pancakes onto the griddle and watched them intently, spatula already in hand. There was no way she was going to let these things burn. The edges of the first pancake were starting to dry and she quickly flipped it, revealing a golden-brown underside.

"Perfect," Henry said.

Then they heard a noise. A short cough from upstairs. They both froze and listened. Shuffling footsteps and a sneeze told them Regina was awake and coming downstairs.

"Crap, what do we do? We can't let her see this mess and I bet she sure as hell doesn't want to see me." Emma said. She flipped the other three pancakes to keep them from burning and then turned to Henry with wide eyes.

"Um, okay…you keep making pancakes and I'll go distract her." The boy turned before she could protest and raced into the living room.

Emma quickly put the first four pancakes onto a plate, poured more batter onto the hot griddle, and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping desperately that Henry was a good actor.

Henry slowed to a walk just as Regina reached the bottom of the stairs. "Morning, Mom."

"Good morning, sweetheart," Regina replied in a raspy, somewhat nasally voice. She started to lean down to kiss his head, but pulled back when she remembered that she didn't want him to get sick. "What are you doing?"

"I was just gonna watch some TV. Shouldn't you still be resting?"

Regina smiled. "Thank you for the concern, but it's just a cold, dear. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, as long as you rest," Henry scolded gently. "That's what you made me do when I was little."

"I suppose you're right. I'm just going to get my reading glasses out of the study and make myself some tea. Then I'll go back upstairs for a while. Does that sound good to you?"

"You can't go in the kitchen!" Henry cried a little too quickly.

"Why not?" Regina quirked an eyebrow at him, but the effect was ruined when she let out a small sneeze.

"Because I dropped a bowl this morning and I haven't finished cleaning it up yet."

"Do you need help?"

"No, I can do it. I'm almost done anyway."

Regina looked like she was going to say something, but then thought better of it. "Alright. I'm going to grab my glasses then." She walked into the study and emerged a few moments later with her black rimmed glasses in her hand. "I'll be upstairs if you need me, alright, Henry?"

"Okay, Mom. Feel better."

"Thank you." Regina started up the stairs and sneezed.

"Bless you."

"Thank you."

Henry waited until his mother was upstairs before racing back into the kitchen. Emma was smiling.

"Way to go, kid," she said, giving him a high five. "Now let's get the last of these things done so you can bring them up to her."

"Alright. I'm gonna make her some tea too."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

"You have to come up with me," Henry insisted.

"Kid, your mom hates my guts on a normal day. I doubt she'll want to see me when she's sick," Emma reasoned.

"But the tray's too heavy and if I carry it, I'm probably going to end up spilling it all on the stairs."

"Henry, I…"

"Please?"

Damn Neal and whatever genes of his gave the kid such great puppy dog eyes. Emma sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll come up with you. But if she starts going all Evil Queen on me, it's your fault."

"Deal," said Henry. He set the steaming mug of tea on the tray next to the pancakes. Emma grabbed the tray and slowly followed Henry up the stairs towards Regina's bedroom.

When they reached the door, Henry carefully pushed it open and peeked inside. "Come on. She's asleep." He gestured for Emma to come in.

When she did, her mouth dropped at what she saw.

Regina was propped up against the headboard with a pile of pillows behind her back. She had a book open on her lap- Little Women by the look of it- and her head was tipped forward. Her glasses looked like they could slip off her nose at any second. Her eyes were closed and her usually tan face looked almost pale save for her red nose. The blankets were pulled up around her. She looked utterly adorable.

Now there's a word Emma never thought she would associate with the mayor.

Henry crept over to his brunette mother and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mom," he whispered. "Mom, wake up."

Regina jerked awake and turned to look at her son. "Henry?"

"Surprise," he said, gesturing to Emma and the tray.

"Miss Swan, what are you-" She was cut off by a coughing fit. Emma set the tray on the nightstand and reached over to rub circles on the sick woman's back.

"Better?" Emma asked once Regina stopped coughing.

"Yes. Thank you."

"Emma helped me make you breakfast," Henry explained. "Tada!"

He set the tray on the bed and Regina's face lit up instantly. "Are these apple cinnamon pancakes?" Henry nodded. "Thank you, honey. They look delicious."

"Emma did most of the work. I just mixed them."

"I didn't do all that much." Emma dropped her gaze to the rug.

Regina lifted up the mug of tea and let out a little gasp as the steam fogged up her glasses. She took them off and rubbed used the blanket to wipe them off before slipping them back on.

"I'll be right back," Henry said quickly. "I have to go grab something from my room." He walked quickly out of the room and down the hall, leaving Regina and Emma alone.

Emma's stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything since dinner last night save for a chunk of apple she had stolen while cutting them up.

"Hungry, Miss Swan?" Regina asked with a smirk.

"A little bit," Emma admitted.

"Well I can't eat all of these by myself."

Emma didn't move, so Regina finally patted the bed next to her and asked, "Do you need a formal invitation?"

Emma finally realized what was going on and slid into bed beside the brunette who had just taken her first bite of pancake.

"These are delicious," she said. "Try a piece."

The blonde ripped off a piece of pancake and popped it into her mouth. "Wow, it is."

"Why would I lie?" Regina sipped her tea and leaned back against the pillows. Even with her hair awry and no makeup on her face she still looked amazing. Emma shook her head. Regina look amazing? No way.

But there was something about her that made Emma want to know her, be with her, maybe even love her?

Regina's eyes fluttered shut with a silent sneeze and Emma smiled. The brunette reached for a tissue from the nightstand and blew her nose. "What are you smiling at?"

"You," Emma replied. And before she knew what she was doing, she leaned forward and planted a small kiss on the mayor's lips.

For a moment it seemed like Regina was relaxing, but then she pulled away. "No."

"I'm…I'm sorry," Emma stammered. She started to get up. "I should go."

"No, I mean don't kiss me now," Regina clarified. "You'll get sick too."

"So…kissing you would be…okay?" Emma asked.

"I suppose."

"Well since I _did _kiss you now and I'm almost guaranteed to get sick now, I might as well stay."

"If you insist," Regina sighed, lifting up the blankets and letting the blonde scramble in. Regina gave a light cough and then sneezed again.

"You know, I heard somewhere that body warmth can be good for a cold," Emma said.

"Well if it'll make me better faster, I'll try it. I hate being sick."

Emma slid closer to Regina and wrapped her arms around the small woman to pull her closer. It wasn't long before they both succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Henry came back into the room, camera in hand. He saw his mother curled up next to each other, sleeping soundly and grinned. He snapped a quick picture and then eased the door shut again.

"Mission accomplished."


End file.
